Media Rights Agenda, MRA, and the International Press Centre, IPC, have called for sanctions against public officials and institutions that persistently violate the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
The groups say widespread non-compliance continues to undermine the purpose of legislation enacted to strengthen public accountability.
Their call followed a multi-stakeholder conference in Lagos held to mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information.
Participants raised concerns that public institutions frequently delay, deny or simply ignore information requests.
The legal issue is significant because access to public information is not merely a journalistic convenience.
It can affect the ability of citizens, lawyers and civil-society groups to scrutinise spending, understand public decisions and challenge wrongdoing.
Without effective consequences, a statutory right may exist formally while remaining difficult to enforce in practice.
The demand for sanctions therefore shifts the FOI debate from awareness to enforcement.
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